Restaurant experiment: Burger Tap

Burger Tap

1409 North Highland Avenue NE between Lanier Place NE and Lanier Boulevard NE

Suite D

Atlanta, GA 30306

404-249-7191

http://www.burgertap.com

Dave and I wanted burgers and didn’t want to trek too far for cheese-laden patties.  Hopping on Yelp, I stumbled upon Burger Tap, a relatively new contender in the ATL burger biz.  Since it was early on a Sunday evening, parking was a breeze.  You can either park in the lot across from the restaurant, or there’s a wee lot in the back.  Much like other well-known burger establishments in Atlanta, you order at the counter, and then your grub is delivered to your table.  Burger Tap looks small, but there is a whole hidden seating area in the back, and there’s also a back deck for picnic table-style eating.

Much as the name suggests, there are a good number of beers to choose from, though both times I’ve gone, it seems as though a few selections were tapped out.

Eschewing the Classic burger (which I actually ended up having the second time around), I decided to try the Gaucho, which included grilled tomatoes, frizzled onions, jack cheese, and chimichurri mayonnaise.

I’ve had chimichurri before, but if you asked me what’s in it, I’d be speechless.  So thanks to my friend Wikipedia, here is the scoop.  Cilantro-free!

Chimichurri is made from finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano, white or red vinegar. Additional flavorings such as paprika, cumin, thyme, lemon, and bay leaf. In its red version, tomato and red bell pepper may also be added. It can also be used as a marinade for grilled meat. Chimichurri is available bottled or dehydrated for preparing with oil and water.

The food emerged rather promptly.  I can’t remember the first visit,  but the second visit, I asked for my patty to be cooked medium well, and parts of it ended up being on the medium or even more medium rare side.  Hmm.  The second time, the cashier girl/waitress checked up on us a few times.  She showed that she cared.

I give the Gaucho my seal of approval.  The chimichurri was the real star here and elevated the ensemble to a higher plane.  But the bun was just plain weird.  It was like a soft hot dog bun, or something McDonald’s-esque.  Maybe some grilling would have helped.  A strong burger needs a strong bun.  This bun was just a cupcake, as a friend would say.  The fried zucchini was tasty and the dipping sauce as addictive as crack, but they were maybe a bit too heavy as a side for me because the burger was slightly oily.

And that’s Burger Tap.  That’s a wrap!

Restaurant experiment: Yeah! Burger

Yeah! Burger

1017 North Highland Avenue at Virginia Avenue

Atlanta, GA 30306

404-437-7845

http://www.yeahburger.com

Soundtrack for this post: “Yeah! Oh Yeah!” by the Magnetic Fields

As we love burgers, it was time to try a new burger business.  Yeah! Burger seemed to fit the bill, though it sounded a lot like Farm Burger with the organic buzz but with more of an emphasis on gluten-free and with cuter cartoon graphics.

Firstly, it’s the Virginia-Highlands, so parking is always fun.  And by fun, I mean annoying.  As the baby lot right by the restaurant was full, we drove down Virginia and found a space.  Then we had to wait in line in order to place our orders.  The line moved and wasn’t as horrible as Shake Shack on a summer day.

So there was a couple in front of us who decided to go to the bar and place a to-go order.  Then they got their grub and sat down to eat it.  Seriously???

The cashier with the peppy hairdo didn’t ask me what kind of bun I wanted, and I ended up with a whole wheat one which luckily seemed to the the same cost as a white bun.  The buns are “locally made with organic flour by H&F Bread Co.”  My custom burger was a $6.49 beef patty (“6 oz. double stack of Georgia-raised, grass-fed White Oak Pastures beef”) with lettuce, tomato, sliced onions, pickles, cheddar cheese ($1), and avocado slices ($1).   There isn’t pork belly or bone marrow on the menu, but that’s fine by me.  I like my burgers basic.  Though the bacon jam sounds absolutely delightful…

The patio was full, so Dave and I grabbed a table right next to the patio, and I spent my time wishing I were on the patio, to some degree.

I was very impressed by the avocado.  Perfectly ripened, creamy amazingness.  The cheddar was robust but didn’t overpower the cheddar; that’s why I went with that instead of blue cheese.  Aw, you can’t see the avocado in the picture.  It’s hiding in the back.  The patty was juicy but not an oily mess.  The fries could have been crispier but were all right.

Cage match: Farm Burger vs. Yeah! Burger

Slight edge to Yeah! Burger.  Despite the irritating-to-type exclamation point, YB has better pickles though FB has more toppings to pick from, and a wider variety of cheeses.  I liked the cashier at YB more than the one at FB.  Plus I can bring my gluten-free pals here.  Both places cook beef medium or well done (why?).

Restaurant experiment: Farm Burger

Farm Burger

401B West Ponce de Leon Avenue between Northern Avenue and Fairview Avenue

Decatur, GA 30030

404-378-5077

http://www.farmburger.net

Hankering for some beef between buns, I perused Yelp listings for a commendable burger in Atlanta and came up with Farm Burger, amongst other options.  They recently opened a second location in Buckhead which speaks to its popularity.  And it’s all down with the whole locavore movement; they raise their own cows and use local suppliers.  In agreement, Dave and I set Farm Burger as our dining destination.

Since it was just past 5 pm on a Sunday night, Farm Burger wasn’t too crowded.  There’s a parking lot right by the restaurant so you don’t have to worry about street parking.  The restaurant has sort of a loft feeling, with lots of big windows and some wooden beams.  You order at the counter and then sit down; your meal is then brought to your table.  I got a slightly flippant vibe from the cashier girl, but maybe I was imagining it.  The runners were a bit more gregarious.

It took a while for us to decide, or rather I decided quickly but Dave put more thought into his selection.  Something weird is that you can only order your beef medium or well done.  Um, okay.  There are free toppings and some toppings that are a surcharge.  I was impressed that you could buy such items as bone marrow ($3) and pork belly ($2).  My $6 basic burger had the usual goodies like lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles, but I also added Maytag blue cheese for a buck more.  As a separate side, I ordered the Farm Burger garlic Parmesan fries with my burger.

There wasn’t too much seating, but luckily we didn’t have to fight anyone for a table.  The three large communal tables were occupied by adults and their offspring.  Seems like Farm Burger is the place for nourishment post-soccer or whatnot games.

The house pickles were on the sweeter side, and they were juicy beings.  The liquid just clashed horribly with the intense blue cheese, producing an unappealing sensation on the palate.  It was slightly bizarre.  The fries were very seasoned.  Best consumed while hot?  Wanted them a tad crispier, but oh well.

I will gladly give Farm Burger another shot.  Maybe I just ordered the wrong topping combination.  I do like getting the warm fuzzies when I’m eating, knowing the cow had a cushy life and all that jazz.

Restaurant experiment: Rojo

Rojo

2921 Highland Avenue South at 30th Street South

Birmingham, AL 35205

205-328-4733

http://rojo.birminghammenus.com

There sure is a lot of Tex Mex in this town, and Rojo is just one of the names in the pile.  What truly sets it apart is its location in picturesque residential Highland Park.  Laura and I elected to sit inside for two reasons: 1) to avoid smokers on the patio and 2) to watch football.  I should mention that there is a bar part of Rojo which is not connected directly to the restaurant part of Rojo.  In the restaurant side, you order at the counter, and a runner brings you your order.  The decor is funky-hip with bright colors, artwork, and Christmas lights; I could easily picture this sort of place in Brooklyn.

The menu is two-faced, with one side bearing the Latin dishes, and the reverse the American fare.  Since on the way to the restaurant, I inhaled the aroma of burgers, I was primed for a burger, and that is what I ordered.  Wasn’t really in a Mexican mood, so I ended up with just a regular old cheeseburger with pasta salad as my side (there are a whopping seven choices for your side).  It seems like Birmingham eateries like the iceberg lettuce rather than other varieties.  Luckily the food didn’t take too long to come out.  Still, I had time to assess the patrons; the Rojo crowd was predominantly young professionals especially couples, though there were older people thrown in here and there.

I don’t have too much to say about the cheeseburger ($7.50) since it was fine and delicious.  I had requested cheddar on mine.  The pasta salad had a generous amount of fresh basil, along with tomato bits and feta.  It was a welcome change from fries, and it was a good thing I didn’t order the fries, as they were the fat wedge kind I’m not enthusiastic about.

As the cheeseburger was not the largest entree ever, I elected to sample a dessert.  Though the blueberry cobbler was quite tempting, I selected the peanut butter cream pie ($4.95) in the end since Laura voted for it, and I had a dream recently about peanut butter cookies which I took to be a sign that I should consume this PB pie.

The pie was grade A!  The crust was airy and so was the filling.  Like the elegant, high-class cousin of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.  Chocolate and peanut butter do go so well together.  Viva Rojo!

Restaurant experiment: On Tap Sports Cafe

On Tap Sports Cafe

737 29th Street South at Clairmont Avenue South

Birmingham, AL 35233

205-320-1225

http://www.ontapsportscafe.com/lakeview.html

There were several reasons to go to On Tap in Lakeview on a Sunday afternoon: proximity, recommendation by Laura, burgers and wings, and football.  When Dave and I drove into the parking lot, there was nary a space to be found, but thankfully spots on the street were to be had.

We were inside for a mere minute since there was only one table free (which still needed to be cleared off) but it was right next to a table of smokers.  It seemed kind of dark inside, and I wasn’t too sure about the air circulation.  I really wish Birmingham would get with the program and follow NYC’s lead by banning smoking inside establishments.  Cigarette smoke is just awful and there’s seriously nothing good about it.  That’s one reason not to go out in Birmingham.

Luckily, there were available tables outside on the patio.  It was a brilliantly sunny and non-humid day.  There are fewer televisions outside, but I’d sacrifice game options for slightly more breathable air.  There were smokers outside on the patio but at least their poisons were diluted in the open air.  Looked like a diverse crowd: Acura drivers, girls just having fun, dudes chilling, and such.

Our waitress was nice enough though a little scatterbrained.

Her: How are you guys doing?

Dave: Just waiting on my beer [That I ordered.  A while ago.].

Dave and I split an order of ten wings ($9), and we both had burgers.  Mine was the classic burger, with cheddar cheese as an add-on.  I ended up eating the wings after I consumed the burger, so they had cooled down.  Yeah, come to think of it, I wish the wings had appeared first instead of simultaneously with the beef.  The blue cheese was a little runny for my tastes but doable.  They kindly let us put two sauces on the wings.  My honey BBQ was quite sweet.  I love when the wing skins are crisped, which is how On Tap does ‘em.  Mmm.  The burger was great for a bar burger.  The lettuce was iceberg though, minus one point.

The pub grub might have been a little overpriced.  My cheeseburger was $10, though they do have daily drink specials, even on the weekends.  A pint of Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan was a mere $3.50.  With 52 beers on tap, the beer enthusiast is sure to find something to his/her liking.

P.S.  The On Tap on 280 has a non-smoking room, hooray!  Will have to give that a go sometime.

Restaurant experiment: Flip Burger Boutique

Flip Burger Boutique

220 Summit Boulevard

Suite 140

Birmingham, AL 35243

205-968-2000

http://flipburgerboutique.com

Though I’ve never seen an episode of Top Chef, after I learned that Flip Burger Boutique was birthed by a Top Chef contestant (Richard Blais), I figured I could try it since I’ve dined at several other Top Chef establishments.  Firstly, I must say that the parking at the Summit is frustrating.  Since it was later in the evening, Laura and I didn’t have too much trouble, but I could see parking being non-existent during peak meal/shopping times.

Flip Burger Boutique is on a corner adjacent to Chuy’s which Laura informed me was not worth going to.  The interior of the boutique is something that would have happened had the Museum of Modern Art had a baby with the space station from 2001.  Very sleek and mod.  See photographic evidence below:

I wish we could have scored one of these booths, but they were occupied when the hostess was seating us.  Of course, they all emptied out during the meal.  Sigh.  And the outside balcony seating looked to die for with views of the peons below the Summit, but as it was 99999 degrees outside with 120% humidity, Laura and I went with the chilly air inside.

Our server had a good personality and was attentive but not overly so.  The menu changes often, as Laura pointed out to me.  I went with something a little conservative: the butcher’s cut burger ($9).  All of the beef burgers are 5.5 ounces of hangar steak, brisket, and short rib blend.  This particular burger featured red wine jam, caramelized onions, frisée, and blue cheese.  Immediately, the meat reminded me of the burger at Minetta Tavern, like very soft and delicate.  The jam was very complementary, but the blue cheese fell out from between the buns, and I didn’t notice this, causing me to worry about missing cheese to Laura, who pointed out where the rogue blue had gone.  More blue cheese!  That’s my suggestion.

As the burgers do not already come with sides, I elected to try the zucchini fries with gremolata mayo ($4) as my accompaniment.  I did not know what gremolata was, but now I am aware that it  is a garlic, parsley, and lemon zest condiment which is crack-like in its addictiveness.  I wiped the ramekin clean, it was that phenomenal.  It does have garlic, and how can you go wrong with garlic?  And placing shredded cheese on top of the zucchini?  Priceless.  I could have done with fatter logs of zucchini but overall, a win.  Come to think of it, the runner who brought out our plates made it a point to mention that there was a generous serving of the mayo.  Heh.

There is a section on the menu for liquid nitrogen milkshakes.  Two words: Krispy Kreme.  I can’t say why I was so compelled to have this beverage, as I don’t even particularly like Krispy Kreme donuts, well, except for that time in college when I experimented with them.  Too sugary for me.  Anyway, this was just too southern to pass up.  Laura went for the Nutella+burnt marshmallow one after deciding against the Cap’n Crunch+pb foam flavor.  The soda glasses come out with the liquid nitrogen smoke rising off the top.  This sounds bizarre, but the Krispy milkshake is actually less sweet than the plain ol’ donut, go figure.  I did like the shake.  Shake Shack, eat your heart out.

On an unrelated note, this blog is three years old, happy belated birthday!

Restaurant experiment: Scobee Grill

Scobee Grill

25229 Northern Boulevard at Little Neck Parkway

Little Neck, NY 11362

718-428-5777

Ah, the NYC diner.  It’s been a while since you and I met up.  Apparently Scobee’s been around a while.  And according to Wikipedia, former CIA director George Tenet even worked there as a busboy.  Ooh history.  When Dave and I went, only one section of the diner was open; the restaurant itself is massive.  When you walk in, a bakery case greets you and lets you know that all of its goods were baked on the premises.  Cookies the size of frisbees, I swear.

As with most diners, the menu is twenty pounds and filled with the standard fare.  Dave and I settled on burgers which seemed pretty much like a safe choice.  He picked out the New York burger and I the Greek option ($8.95).  The service was courteous though maybe not the most attentive.  The burgers appeared in short order, and whoa, onion overload.  Were they trying to unload all their red onion stock onto me?  I love onions but not that much; I’d be reeking for weeks.  Notice the swimming pool in the middle of the patty.  Dave griped that his rare burger was not rare.  Are diners even capable of serving meat rare?  I highly doubt it.

Anyway, the feta was fried which I had never seen before but it was actually a smart idea so the crumbles didn’t go every which way.  Mmm, tzatziki sauce.  Unlike Dave, I found my burger to be perfectly serviceable.  Yeah, it wasn’t a fancypants burger, but it was good enough for me, considering the circumstances (meaning, being in a diner).  I did want to throw in a thumbs down on the bun.  It was of poor quality and falling apart in my very fingers.  Bleh.

Dave was decidedly down on this place, but I’m a little more forgiving.  It did have a lottery ticket vending machine in the lobby, uh, weird?

Restaurant experiment: Rare Bar & Grill

Rare Bar and Grill Chelsea

152 West 26th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues

New York, NY 10001

212-807-7273

http://www.rarebarandgrill.com/chelsea.php

A couple of weeks ago, Stacy raved to us about the out-of-this-universe burger she had consumed at Rare Bar and Grill.  And then it just so happened that I entered a burger zone where I kept thinking about burgers and craved a worthy burger.  Dave and I weren’t in a Murray Hill mood and decided to try out the Chelsea location which is newer.  Due to the new factor, this place was not very crowded despite it being a Saturday night.  There’s a bar on street level and then you descend to the depths for the dining room.  It’s a cavern.  A two-story ceiling ups the noise factor.  And I wondered why the AC was pounding so much so that I was chilly.  The decor verges on silly, with barbed wire images on the lighting, and a chandelier made out of cattle branding irons reading “RARE.”

Our server Gregorio was excellent; he had a full command of the menu and was welcoming to us.  I should also add that your water glass will never be empty here.  Take one sip, and someone’s over to replenish the water consumed.  Though along with the home-on-the-range decor, something else was noticed which made the experience sort of chain restaurant-y.  We were in a booth/table which was adjacent to a pile of restaurant tray stands.  Immediately I had a flashback to eating at a Red Lobster and could picture a white-shirted server setting a tray of fish meals onto a tray stand and asking “Who had the captain’s platter?”

Before venturing to Rare, I had checked out the menu online, and there were a few changes.  Like a couple of the cocktails had been increased by $2 and the special cheeseburger uses Artisanal fromage than from Murray’s.  So if you look on the menu, take those into account.  If you care, that evening’s Artisanal cheese selection was an aged cheddar.

I was going to get a regular burger instead of a fancy steakhouse burger, but with Dave getting a fancy burger, I decided to go for it; after all, I could get a burger with goat cheese at most joints.

The french fry tasting basket for about $10 wasn’t bad, though next time, I’d probably just get an order of just one type of fry.  You got shoestring, cottage (or waffle, if you will), and thin sweet potato.  Thin sweet potato was a bit funky.  There were a zillion sauces to try: ketchup, Mexican ketchup, chipotle aoili, honey maple, parm garlic I think?  I can’t remember, there were too many! 

My ultimate selection was the t-bone steakhouse burger ($21).  “A blend of sirloin and strip, flambeed in tequila, wrapped in apple smoked bacon, topped with cheddar and crispy onions.”  Cheddar, tequila, and bacon are all fine by me.  I’d rather raw than fried onions, but you can’t win them all.  The kitchen declined to switch Dave’s steakhouse meat selection with other toppings.  What the burger lacks in diameter, it makes up for with height.  Boy, was that sucker tall!

Ouch, hot burger!  Literally hot off the grill.  And juicy, as evidenced by the mililiter or so of liquid falling onto the plate.  The height made eating a challenge.  I squished as much as I could, though in the end, the infrastructure collapsed.  Yum!

If you go, and you should, check out the rooftop.  We didn’t but maybe another evening!

Restaurant experiment: Paul’s

Paul’s

131 Second Avenue between East 7th Street and St. Mark’s Place

New York, NY 10003

212-529-3033

http://www.paulsburgers.com/

I’ve walked by Paul’s a jillion times, seeing as though it’s right smack next to St. Mark’s as well as Pommes Frites but I’ve never eaten a burger there despite some marketing material out front about being NYC’s best burger and all.  I recall Brigitte giving Paul’s the old thumbs up, so when Dave and I found ourselves in the East Village, ravenous after a couple of beers and glasses of wines on a rooftop terrace, enjoying a perfect spring day, I suggested Paul’s and received an answer in the affirmative.

Being a Friday night, Paul’s was kept full and busy.  There are a lot of signs on the wall which remind you of Chili’s or Applebee’s.  I would say Paul’s is a very blue-collar type place.  Definitely diner-y.  No frills.  The list of burgers is practically a mile long, and you can have your burger as is or the deluxe version.  I went with the cheddar cheeseburger deluxe, solid.  The menu advertises that the patties are 1/2 pounders, very respectable.  What is cool is that you are given the option to have cooked or raw onions on your burger (team raw onions!), along with lettuce and tomato for the deluxe.  The waitress had brought out pickles in a bowl; we went to town on those suckers and left only the juice behind.  Mmm, pickles.  Note empty aluminum bowl that formerly held pickles.

The fries were those average-sized rectangles that aren’t my supreme favorite but are all right.  The key word to describe the Paul’s burger is SIZZLING!  Literally.  My fingers were burned because the bun wasn’t as sturdy as it could have been, but at least the pure beef-ness of the large meat makes up for that.  Yeah, so incredibly hot.  Dave and I agreed that Paul’s holds its own amongst the burger titans of this town but that combining Pommes Frites fries with Paul’s burgers would be an unholy union.  Mmm.

Restaurant experiment: db Bistro Moderne

db Bistro Moderne

55 West 44th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues

New York, NY 10036

212-391-2400

http://www.danielnyc.com/dbbistro.html

If you enter db Bistro Moderne from the street (it’s attached to a hotel), be sure to not be confused like me and believe that the waiters station is the reception/check in area.  That place is in the middle of the restaurant.  Huh.

I was excited to try db Bistro Moderne so that I could knock another Daniel Boulud restaurant off my list and also try their famous gourmet burger.  So when Stacy and I were going to a concert nearby, I suggested we dine here pre-theater.  Sounded good to both of us.  db is quite the place for pre-theater, being stuffed to the gills and then emptying out close to 8pm.  I arrived early and was able to be seated in our reserved tight table in the corner.  Yes, the tables were a little too close for comfort.  The dining room is definitely more theatrical, with red and splashes of life with huge flower paintings on the walls.

Our waiter was kind but I noticed he was reading the specials from a pad and writing them down on said paid.  The complimentary bread basket was too charming, including homemade pretzels and even a baby baguette!  How adorable.

A bonus treat was eggplant spread and olive tapenade.  Yes, I love extras.

I knew exactly what I wanted and only glanced at the menu along with Stacy.  The burger for me, my one and only.

THE ORIGINAL db BURGER
Sirloin Burger Filled with Braised Short Ribs & Foie Gras
Served on a Parmesan Bun
Pommes FritesorPommes Soufflées
32.

There’s also this, but it’s for another time.  $150 burger?!?!

db BURGER ROYALE
With Layered Shaved Black Truffles
75. / 150.

I requested it medium and it came out more like medium rare.  I was a little dejected that this fancypants burger did not come with cheese; the parmesan bun does not count.  It kind of failed at containing its mega contents though.  Not quite up to the task.  Double bun?  Due to the ribs and foie gras, there’s a bit of a wet texture.  The foie gras gets kind of lost in the shuffle.  Yummy burger but I’ll still take my comfort cheeseburgers burgers anyday.

The frites were crunchy and generous.  A side tray of three different dipping options was co-presented with the burger: ketchup, horseradish mayo, and mustard.  The mustard was too cutting for me, and the horseradish mayo ended up being my fave which was odd since I don’t really like horseradish too much.  The same taste was in the burger.

Stacy had the black truffle raviole which she heartily approved of.  I thought it was tops though was a smaller portion than could be.

Though I was quite full with the beastly burger, I decided to go for dessert alongside Stacy.  This is what I ordered:

CITRUS VACHERIN
Chilled Tangerine Soup, White Chocolate Chantilly
Meyer Lemon Sorbet, Blood Orange Ice Cream

A vacherin is a meringue cake crust.  I must say that the flavors in this dessert are incredible!  So strong, so citrus, so fresh.  Yummmmmm.  The Meyer lemon sorbet particularly was lip pursing sour, just the way I like it.  The tangerine soup made me think of warm breezes and flowers and sunshine.

DB is not superfancyelegant but a fine dining choice if you’re in the area, with diverse menu of excellent items for not nutty prices.  They also serve lunch and breakfast.  Next up someday: Daniel & DBGB!